"nailing down" plants to stop thieves

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We're just outside a fairly rough village. Last week I planted some shrubs on the verge and two days later they were gone... Just holes in the ground. I assume nicked rather than some officious council worker.

There's a parcel of land next to the road we are trying to buy and if we do, we'd want to plant a screening hedge but now I'm nervous.

Is it worth chaining the bushes up somehow? I wondered about laying a steel rope along the hedge line and tying each trunk to it. Sure it won't stop anyone determined but it will mean they can't just pull and run.

Anyone ever done this?! How do the council or businesses prevent thefts?
 
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You will not be able to stop it unless they are enclosed.
Just put really smelly plants there.
Or weed :)
 
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you can dig a few inches off the topsoil and lay steel mesh, plant your small shrubs through that then cover over. once they have grown a bit they will be very difficult to get out without cutting the mesh. Same with bulbs.

plant small saplings that are not worth the effort of stealing, and cut the stems short.
 
Nah, in the North East. It's a deprived, rough area generally.

The plants nicked were 2' laurel bushes, planted right on the verge of a fairly busy country road exiting the village. Child's play to pull them up as they hadn't had any time to root, and I suppose they were quite conspicuously new.

That's why I wonder about simply tying rope or wire from each trunk to a buried cable/chain which is firmly staked. It won't stop anyone who really cares, but it would mean you couldn't just run off, and the extra hassle might deter casual thiefs
 
Smear grease at the base of the shrub so when anybody grabs it there their hands get covered.
 
I had thought about that though something less pleasant that grease!

What were you thinking? o_O

I think something along those lines is better than any mechanical fixing. I spend about £100 in summer on large hanging baskets and although they've not been pinched yet I still cable tie them to the brackets on the wall, but for a ground-planted shrub that's the best bet outside of fencing it in.
 

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